Tite To Give Players Freedom During Their Downtime in Russia

Brazil boss Tite says he will give his players the freedom to decide how they spend their downtime in Russia next summer. The players’ families will be allowed to stay nearby and the coach says he won’t make any rules about their whereabouts, so long as they are responsible.

Tite told UOL Esporte, “I will treat the players as normal human beings. The players are the same as the people reading your story, they have the same needs, wake up sometimes cheerful, sometimes upset, with a headache, moodiness, patience for living or not.

“Players will have the performance recovery, which they have at their clubs and have in the Seleção as well, but in their downtime, they have the responsibility to do what feels good.”

Tite says he will not make any rules over who the players can see or where they can go, “If they want to go dancing with friends? Do it. I'm not paternalistic, the guy who forces and imposes rules. Take your responsibility, if you want to stay with family, go for it, in the off time do what you want.

“In training and the games, they will have the responsibility of excellence, to present the best work possible on the field. Outside, common sense prevails. A relation of trust with respect, of course, manages itself.”